Topping up engine oil on 325i

[E46Fanatic]

Wooooo! New engine Master Sifu E46F!

My VIN search results:
1. The engine no doesn't correspond to engine code
2. The Vehicle Identification No is recorded in the reg card as the chassis no. It's a 17 digit alphanumeric no stamped on the wheel well behind the coolant tank
3. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do doesn't give me a result
4. http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi does, but only says my unit's engine is a N52N, production date 11/07
5. My engine is black cover
6. Have to do some work now to earn money to pay for car
7. wc9922, DY, E46F....help!

I think the CKD local assembled BMWs have a unique VIN number. At least this was true for my E46. So I couldnt get a good trace result from these online tools with my E46.

 

[Schwepps]

But VIN is a global codification standard, and the PM in mine corresponds to the country code for Malaysia. Most of the sites give only rudimentary info, eg whether the car has a theft record. There must be a site that gives a full result. We just have to find it...

 

[bimmerdude]

The N46 based on the N42 whichi s the "old" engine from the E46 valvetronic 318i (143hp). Yours is a newer E90 320i N46 which put out 150hp but yours is revised to give 156hp. The latest 4 pot 2.0 ltr is the N43 which is HPI based and puts out 170hp. Not available here yet.

ok i did a search with the online vin tool and my engine turns out to be the N46N. i wonder what the N stands for. funny tho, production date was nov 2007. but on my reg card it says 2008. weird. and where did they get the extra 6bhp from???

 

[Schwepps]

bimmerdude, your car was manufactured (assembled) in 2008, but that doesn't mean that the components were all made in 2008.

 

[Schwepps]

Ok, spent the whole of lunch break trying to decode my VIN some more but got nowhere. N52N is the furthest info I can get. Giving up! :43:

Oh great sifus, what's the diff between N52N and N52KP? :hmmmm:

 

[paulpaul2]

bro schwepps, come to this friday TT section, we meet up ok n talk ok?
http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?p=336425&posted=1#post336425

 

[3er]

KP = kay-poh??

 

[manu3116m]

Hi Bros,

My 325 is a 2006 model. Done 8,000km and I just top up 1 liter as well. The thing is I have seen oil droppings on my car porch. What's happening?

 

[wc9922]

Hi Bros,

My 325 is a 2006 model. Done 8,000km and I just top up 1 liter as well. The thing is I have seen oil droppings on my car porch. What's happening?

you've got a leak. get it fixed soon.

 

[Traveler]

After my recent drop in oil (dropped from almost MAX, to just over MIN) in the course of one long-distance drive (normal highway drive, no excessive hard acceleration), I have sent my car in for a check-up at Sapura today.

When I talked to the technician last week, he did say that the engine in our 325s have a tendency for this to happen. He didn't really explain it beyond that. So I will probably ask him more questions later when I pick up my car.

 

[MSport]

After my recent drop in oil (dropped from almost MAX, to just over MIN) in the course of one long-distance drive (normal highway drive, no excessive hard acceleration), I have sent my car in for a check-up at Sapura today.

When I talked to the technician last week, he did say that the engine in our 325s have a tendency for this to happen. He didn't really explain it beyond that. So I will probably ask him more questions later when I pick up my car.

FYI, Sapura tells me the same thing previously. I haven't asked Ingress about it yet. Sapura tells me it's normal for a 6-potter as it is a performance car and "a little bit of oil top-up" like this is normal. :stupid:

So far, my odometer is coming to 20K KM and since changing the oil at 16K KM, there has been no drop at all. :top:

 

[astroboy]

I spoke to Ingress technician before during the E90 clinic. Was told they find it common in N52.

I suspect its has something to do with the ultra light magnesium block or on-demand engine oil pump.

 

[Traveler]

Sapura said they would need at least 2 days to check everything, but a quick check indicated nothing wrong. Drove the car home. This morning on the way to work, low oil warming came up (said to top up 1L), so I stopped by Sapura and had a quick top up and now it's back at MAX.

Talk about timing... lol

 

[Traveler]

(deleted - double post)

 

[mnas]

had another top up of 1 L @ 17000km. my first top up was at 10000km. there was huge price difference for the top up oil within a span of 6 months, i.e. it costed me rm95 for the 2nd top up...while the first top up was only rm67
i was asking the service part ctr, the top up they using is imported from germany and claimed to be specially formulated for BMW. for the whole engine oil change, they using Petronas Syntium 5000 now instead of the Castrol
if another top up is required, i'm gonna get my own 1 L and top it up, only costed rm56 (instead of rm95)..haha..

 

[t2ribena]

I spoke to Ingress technician before during the E90 clinic. Was told they find it common in N52.

I suspect its has something to do with the ultra light magnesium block or on-demand engine oil pump.

if i am not mistaken the magnesium material for the N52 engine block is on the outer structure of the block only and the piston liner is still aluminium alloy...in other words the normal (not really normal as BMW uses Alusil for the liners) aluminium piston liner is still there but they only forms the inner part of the entire block only and the remaining structure being magnesium alloy to save weight...IMO no one has the technology to make use of the entire magnesium alloy block construction yet which includes the piston liners to work with other material pistons...

but since this is a new technology that BMW uses, not much has been known on how both material would behave is real world application in different part of the countries as both material expands and shrink at different temperature...

also since it is designed to be at such minimal tolerance between the moving parts like the pistons and its liner, usage of the 'thin' 5W-30 engine oil, minimal change in the tolerance would caused significant changes to its behaviour...for example the famous engine oil dissapearance...

just my 2 cents...:rock:

 

[VKS]

if i am not mistaken the magnesium material for the N52 engine block is on the outer structure of the block only and the piston liner is still aluminium alloy...in other words the normal (not really normal as BMW uses Alusil for the liners) aluminium piston liner is still there but they only forms the inner part of the entire block only and the remaining structure being magnesium alloy to save weight...IMO no one has the technology to make use of the entire magnesium alloy block construction yet which includes the piston liners to work with other material pistons...

but since this is a new technology that BMW uses, not much has been known on how both material would behave is real world application in different part of the countries as both material expands and shrink at different temperature...

also since it is designed to be at such minimal tolerance between the moving parts like the pistons and its liner, usage of the 'thin' 5W-30 engine oil, minimal change in the tolerance would caused significant changes to its behaviour...for example the famous engine oil dissapearance...

just my 2 cents...:rock:

nicely explained..:top:...infact i heard from few people telling the same statement too...some suggest to change engine oil to higher viscosity(thicker) and the problem vanishes...but i wonder who will be the braveheart to try it first on their car

 

[astroboy]

I don't think its the piston liner because if the liner is the culprit, the "escape" oil will surely wet your tail pipe or cause white smoke emission.... unless the cat converter is super efficient la.. still you might get a wet spark plug.

IMHO, the vanished oil is through vaporisation.. the on-demand oil pump idles for too long or cut out due to acceleration need, and the moment its back to action, its pouring oil over a hot pan and result is vaporisation!

 

[t2ribena]

OK lets examine a few points...on how engine oil dissapear either by vaporization or burning...

1. the engine is a closed vessel where it has an inlet for fuel and another for air. the exhaust header port is the only exit points

2. in case as you said that the oil got vaporized due to on-demand oil pump spraying on very hot components, then the vapours needs an escape route to exit the engine to caused any drop in oil levels...if the oil vapours remains in the engine then when it cools down it will be converted into liquid again thus no oil is lost theoretically...

3. the only exit route is then between the cylinder head liners and the cylinder sleeve, and once in here only can the vapours exit thru the exhaust port...but this is questionable as the oil on the cylinder head and sleeve would provide a tight seal that does not allow any vapours to exit.

4. another route is via the valve seal but unless this is damaged then very little chance of this happening....

5. even if the vapours got thru then when it reaches the cool area on the exhaust pipe then it would be converted into liquid form again thus this would caused the normal 'wet' exhaust pipe...

IMHO loss of oil is very minimal in the form of vapours with the points above unless there is a special hole on top of the engine covers that allows the vapours to exit...

 

[t2ribena]

for loss of oil due to burning...

in normal engine operation it is normal that the engine oil residue left on the cylinder sleeve by the moving cylinder head liners got burnt during the combustion cycle...on the N52 engines a few factors could be causing this phenomenon to be more profound;

1. recommended engine oil viscosity is 5W-30 which is very 'thin' oil
2. Alusil cylinder sleeve and liners...this material basically 'absorbs' more oil to maintain a permanent oil layer on both surfaces...
3. very high operating temperature...

with the combination of the three condition above the engine oil burning is more significant than other engines...the hot operating temperature basically makes the oil more combustable since it is already so 'thin' and normally this would mean that the exhaust will emits white smoke...but this is only the case if the burning is not complete thus producing white fumes...but what if the 'thin' oil was burnt completely thus producing no white fumes...it can be the case...

i have also tried measuring the exhaust pipe temperature at the end pipe and it is about 160 degrees celcius (idling) which is really high...even there is a water vapour at this temperature i don't think we can see any indication at all on what is coming out from the exhaust....

so on those engines that consumes excessive engine oil this could be due to premature wear on the cylinder sleeve and liners that requires BMW to replace the crankcase and the cylinders...when this is the case both excessive engine loss to burning of the oil and thru vaporization is also possible...

disclaimer

based totally on my own 2 cents opinion...